1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to belt fasteners used to connect the ends of a flexible belt and, more particularly belt fasteners used on conveyer belts operated in conjunction with metal detectors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Belt fasteners, as typified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 699,538 issued to H. F. Larava; U.S. Pat. No. 1,134,139 issued to P. Kennedy; U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,005 issued to V. B. Dean; and British Pat. No. 1,040,301 issued to I. E. Jackson, are well known in the art for connecting ends of conventional drive and conveyor belts. Such fasteners in the past have been constructed of metal such as steel or brass and most often made of spring steel. Often conveyor belts are used in association with metal detectors and the ability to detect unwanted metal carried on the conveyors is of utmost importance where material carried is to engage cutting blades, such as is common in the wood processing industry. Conventional fasteners are obviously unsuitable for use on such conveyor belts and therefore the ends of the flexible belts are connected by vulcanization. The vulcanization process is suitable for the production of new belts but is impractical for use on broken belts where new belt sections must be added for proper belt length and therefore a break in a belt results in the discarding of the belt at great cost and inefficiency.